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Since the triplets came along I’ve found that my most common response to the question “what have you been up to?” Is “just surviving each day as it comes” So I thought I’d share some tips on how to survive with Triplets.

1 – Have a routine.

Routine doesn’t just help you to get yourself organised, it also lets your baby/toddler know what to expect next, which in turn means that they are less stressed.
This is something that has evolved for us as time has passed. When we first brought the babies home from the hospital we kept a spreadsheet of all feeds and nappy changes, this may sound a bit over the top, but when you are suffering extreme sleep deprivation and have 3 very similar looking bundles of joy, it helps to keep a written record rather than rely on your memory (and for those that are interested, yes, they do tend to all poo at the same time!)
Now that the trio are older the routine is much more flexible but it is still there, we get up at 6am (when the sun comes up on the gro clock) we all sit together at the dining table for meals, we have quiet time (aka lay on the couch and watch a movie) after lunch, dinner is around 4pm and bedtime starts around 6pm.

2 – Buy the best washer and dryer that you can afford.

Within the first few months of bringing our babies home our Dryer gave up and died (and so did the microwave). When you have three little people in your home your laundry is going to be an essential (and very busy) part of your household, you really need to have a washing machine and dryer that can keep up with the endless flow of dirty washing.
It never fails to amaze me, how much washing three little people can create.
This is one chore that it really pays to keep on top of, there’s nothing worse than getting three toddlers out of the bath and then realising that you need to dig through a pile of clean washing to find their Pyjamas, or even worse, that there are no clean Pyjamas in the house at all.
I find that I need to wash, dry and put away at least 2 loads of washing every other day at the moment, if I don’t keep up with it I end up spending way to much time searching for clothes in a mountain of laundry which then takes forever to fold and put away.

3 – Invest in a trampoline!

Most parents of multiples would agree that it’s really difficult to take the kids to the park to burn off some of their energy. It’s difficult to get there in the first place and then when you are there it’s virtually impossible for one person to keep track of three little people at the same time.
We decided to invest in a trampoline just after the trio turned 2. I had no idea how much of a difference this was going to make to our daily lives, but wow! Since we got the trampoline there have been very few days when it hasn’t had a work out.
Having a trampoline in the back yard gives your toddlers a healthy way to burn off all that excess energy and at the same time they are outside getting lots of fresh air and all within the safety of your own back yard.

4 – Get creative.

Wether it’s making cubby houses out of cardboard boxes or going on imaginary expeditions into space you need to get creative to keep everyone interested, the last thing you want in your house is 3 bored toddlers. There are so many ideas to be found on the internet for entertaining toddlers that you should never be short of inspiration to get you started.

5 – Be prepared to walk away and take a deep breath

Listening to your own child cry isn’t much fun, multiply that by three and it’s actually quite painful and it’s impossible to make out what any one of them is trying to tell you because of all the noise.
When it’s all getting too much and you just want to scream or cry, if no-one has been injured and there’s no obvious solution to calm everyone down, it’s probably a good time to walk away and take a deep breath (or two). It’s amazing how quickly everyone can settle down when they realise that none of them are getting your attention any more. You can return to the situation with a slightly clearer head and find out what the problem was and what you can do to help.
(I might add that I always do a quick scan of the room to make sure that everyone is safe before walking away.)

6 – Try to get out and about as much as possible.

There’s no denying that simply getting everyone ready to leave the house is a mission with multiples, especially in the early months. After you’ve left the house you can struggle to get anywhere because everyone wants to stop you and ask you a whole list of questions that will start to make you cringe after about the fourth person has asked you the same thing.
Having said that, it really does do everyone good to get out of the house.
Cabin fever can start to set in if you convince yourself that you can’t get out and about.
The best thing about this one is that the more you do it the easier it gets. You’ll gradually need to pack less and less for your trip and then eventually you no longer need the pram and the nappy bag becomes a backpack stuffed full of spare clothes and snacks and you will find that once the huge pram has gone less people will feel the need to stop you in the street for a chat as well.

As the Trio continue to grow and develop (at an alarming rate might I add!) I like to think that I’m doing more than “just surviving each day as it comes.”
Perhaps I already was but my sleep deprived mind just couldn’t come up with a better response.

Hi Sahra,
Wow! That is exciting news. Have you connected with your local Multiple Births group yet? If not, I highly recommend that you do. In Australia we have AMBA.org.au or the UK have TAMBA.org.uk (I’m not sure where you are based)
I look forward to following your story at http://www.Fourundertwo.com
If you have any questions at all, please feel free to either ask here or send me an e-mail. I can hopefully point you in the right direction for some support groups that might be of help.
Best wishes
Gayle

You are very inspiring and I am always impressed by the different activities and crafts you do. Plus the cooking. Oh my goodness, the cooking! I’d be interested to hear your thoughts on vitamin/nutritional supplements for fussy toddlers 🙂

Hi Rachel, thanks for your lovely comment.
With regards to vitamin supplements for fussy toddlers, I would much prefer to find ways to sneak extra fresh foods into my toddlers diets. Toddlers are very wary of change so you just need be persistent and eventually they will try something new. After they’ve tried it a few times they might just add it to their list of good things to eat.
This way they can develop a more positive attitude to food which will hopefully continue into their adult lives.
Of course, if your child is diagnosed with an actual deficiency then your doctor may well prescribe vitamin supplements, but for a healthy fussy toddler I would just keep persisting with the healthy food.